Monuments and history of Bruges
About Bruges' impressive historical heritage many books can be written. The numerous monuments tell the tale of the history of Bruges in their own way. Baroque, Gothic, Romanticism, nearly all artistic trends have lefts marks in this medieval city. Bruges' Heritage has been carefully build since the Middle Ages and remarkably well preserved up to today. Therefore the city is able to tell its own history with all the monuments, churches, historical buildings and squares.
Modern architecture or infrastructure is rare in Bruges' city centre. The typical medieval cobble-stone is still preferred over the much more comfortable asphalt. Many historical buildings have been proclaimed 'protected monument' by the city council and belong to the historical heritage of the city. The condition for this title is that all renovations and restaurations are done according to the original style. This is not a new fenomenon.
Since the 18th century more and more people have been coming to Bruges for leisure. You may call it a first wave of tourism. It was already then the city council decided to ban modern buildings from the city centre with the goal of preserving the historical glory. That is the reason why certain styles from the 19th and 20th century will not be found.
In the subpages of this category you will find all the information about Bruges' churches, historical buildings and monuments, municipal and private museums and last but not least the glorious history of Bruges.
